Corrosion Mitigation of Copper in Acidic Chloride Pickling Solutions by 2-Amino-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole

Corrosion of copper in acidic chloride pickling solutions of 0.5 M HCl and its mitigation by 2-amino-5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole (AETDA) have been investigated using potentiodynamic polarization, chronoamperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and weight-loss measurements. The study was also complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy investigations. The presence of AETDA and the increase of its concentration in the chloride solutions greatly decreased the corrosion rate and increased the surface and polarization resistances of copper as indicated by the electrochemical measurements. Weight-loss data also indicated that AETDA decreases the dissolution of copper coupons in the studied chloride solution. SEM/EDX investigations showed that AETDA molecules are strongly adsorbed onto copper surface. The UV-Visible absorption spectra confirmed that AETDA molecules suppress the corrosion of copper via their interactions with the copper surface via their adsorption then formation of AETDA-Cu complex.